On Tuesday night, 2023 class four-star LB Jaiden Ausberry joined the Irish Players Club Twitter Spaces. Ausberry officially visited Notre Dame from June 10-12. Here are the highlights from the interview, which lasted about an hour.
Editor’s note: Answers have been lightly edited for clarity and length. The answer order has been adjusted for relevance.
On what it is going to take for ND to land him:
“They’ve checked most of the boxes, but a lot of schools have checked all the boxes for me. I'm trying to narrow it down and take these last few officials — Texas A&M and Michigan. See what they have to offer. After that, I'm trying to think about my decision and see where I am going to commit come December.”
On talking with head coach Marcus Freeman, being a defensive guy:
“We have a really good relationship right now because before he got the head coaching job, he was the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach, so we already had that previous connection in our relationship. He's changing Notre Dame with his recruiting. They're headed in a good direction.
“We have a real connection because my dad interviewed him for the DC job at LSU, so they know each other well, too. So yeah, that was cool. His family and my family have connected, so it was always kind of cool to catch up when I go on a visit to Notre Dame.”
On defensive coordinator Al Golden:
“Getting up there for my second time meeting him was cool because he's had a lot of experience at other schools, like Miami and Temple, where he's been the head coach. He knows how to develop young players. And he knows about the game because he also coached the Bengals, and they made the Super Bowl. That just shows you how good of a coach he is, especially on the defensive side of the ball. That always sticks out to me.”
On camaraderie in recruiting and guys with whom he has a great connection:
“This past weekend, I connected with some Notre Dame recruits like Preston Zinter, Drayk Bowen and Keon Keeley. I spoke to Caleb Downs. I spoke to all of them. It was good connecting with them and seeing how they like Notre Dame.”
On his favorite ND player:
“Jaylon Smith.”
Continued:
“And Kyle Hamilton. My dad has known him since I was a kid. His family and my family are close. It’s always good to speak to his family.
“When I was in fifth grade, we went to the Alabama vs. LSU game together. I was sitting with him, his brother and his mom. His mom watched over me and my brother when my dad was in the press box.’
On what he is anticipating most about playing college football:
'I'm going there to focus on school and academics, and that's it. Because you can't be in college forever. I'm talking about graduating in three years and hopefully be a first-round draft pick. That's the plan. If that doesn’t work, I want to be a business major in finance. I'm also going to have that to fall back on if things don't go as planned.”
On if it’s easy to look outside the state and play football instead of playing home:
“It's never been hard for me. Even staying in-state, I wouldn't have a problem staying or leaving. Location has never been a problem to me, but growing up on campus, with my dad working there (LSU), it was always cool being around LSU. But leaving the state is no problem for me. I'm going to go wherever is best for me and set my future up in a good way.”
On a commitment date:
“I am probably going to decide in December. That’s my decision. I am trying to narrow it down to 2-3 schools after June.”
On what he needs to see in those 2-3 schools:
“That home feeling. Making sure I'm being around people who I can trust and people who care for me on and off the field. Making sure if I get hurt, I would like to be there and like to go to campus. If I get hurt, the coaching staff will still care about me. And that shows that they don't just care about me if I'm playing football there; they also care about me as a student and a person.
“Also the culture. You got to talk to the players because you're going to be in their shoes one day, and they witnessed it firsthand. So those are some things that are important to me when I make my decision.”
On what else he is looking for in a school:
“Making sure that I'm not just becoming a great student, but I'm learning things that will help me in the future. Whatever job I get after I play in the NFL, which hopefully, I will do someday. I want to be a finance major because I've always wanted to go to Wall Street and be a CEO of a company.
“When I went to Notre Dame, they always talk about Justin Tuck. He won the Super Bowl and was a great NFL football player, but now he is CEO of Goldman Sachs, making more money than he was in the league. That stuck out to me.”
On if he has envisioned himself running out of the tunnel with a shiny ND helmet on:
“Every visit I go on, I try to think of myself as a player and a student there. Every time I go on the field, I try to see myself in that jersey, uniform and helmet. I have envisioned that before.”
On a game day visit:
“Hopefully, I get up there this fall and watch them play against a big-time school.”
On if ND landing CJ Carr means anything to him, benign that Carr is a highly-rated QB:
“I wouldn't say it means anything big to me, but it's always kind of cool seeing schools land big five-star quarterbacks. That just shows you that coach Freeman has changed the recruiting at Notre Dame. Before that, they weren't landing five stars like that. … It just goes to show that Notre Dame is doing their thing in the recruiting world.’
On if he has spoken with LSU head coach Brian Kelly:
“We’ve spoken a few times. He’s a cool guy. He's a good coach. He can recruit well too. He’s business-like, but he’s a good coach. He’s a winner. Some people might not like him, but even at Notre Dame, he won.”
On talking to Freeman and Kelly because of his dad interviewing Freeman and Kelly now being at LSU:
“It’s weird, but they’re both really good coaches. They both know how to connect with young players.”
On his dad’s influence in the recruiting process:
“People won't believe it, but he has no influence at all. When we visit, he sits back and is like, ‘Hey, this is your decision.’ Same with my mom, they're like, ‘This is your decision.’ My dad lets me know to ask him if I have any questions. On visits, he never gets involved or anything like that. He's laid back and wants me to enjoy the visit.”
On what the recruiting process has been like:
“I never let it get overwhelming for me. I try to just soak it in—each visit at once. Take the pros, take the cons, and try to see what will be best for me. It starts to heat up and die down at times. When I visit, I see what will be best for me and my future.”
On if recruiting is fun or a business decision:
“Last summer, when I was going into my junior year, it was fun. Once you get past that junior football season, it’s just business because it moves by fast. So you got to look at it from a business standpoint and see how it's going to affect your future. So, I'll say once you get to about January of your junior year, that's when it starts getting really (gets down) to business.”
On NIL:
“I don't have a problem with it, but I don't try to focus on that because NIL will not be there forever. My goal is to make the league, and that's when I will make my real money. I don’t focus on NIL like that. I try to focus more on the actual game because if you make plays on the field, NIL deals will come.
“You don't get the NIL deals first. You got to make plays. … In my mind, I'm going to make the league three-four years, and that's when I'm going to make my big bucks. I'm not worried about it like that.
NIL continued:
“The way I think about it is, I don't let that affect my game. I don't let it get in the way because I'm fortunate enough to come from a blessed family. So I don’t have to play the game for money. In my mind, I'm just thinking I am going to make the league, so I don’t have to worry about NIL deals. But I wouldn't have any problem getting some or reaching out to new NIL companies.”
On his best traits as a football player:
“My speed. The game is not A-gap, B-gap football anymore. The offense is starting to spread out more. You got to be able to move in space. My speed has always been an advantage. I take pride in that and try to use it to other people's disadvantage.”
On early enrolling:
“Right now, my school doesn't let us, but I'm trying to talk to my superintendent to see what I can do. If I can take some summer courses or just take classes for more credit. But hopefully, I can because I want to.”
Editor’s note: Answers have been lightly edited for clarity and length. The answer order has been adjusted for relevance.
On what it is going to take for ND to land him:
“They’ve checked most of the boxes, but a lot of schools have checked all the boxes for me. I'm trying to narrow it down and take these last few officials — Texas A&M and Michigan. See what they have to offer. After that, I'm trying to think about my decision and see where I am going to commit come December.”
On talking with head coach Marcus Freeman, being a defensive guy:
“We have a really good relationship right now because before he got the head coaching job, he was the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach, so we already had that previous connection in our relationship. He's changing Notre Dame with his recruiting. They're headed in a good direction.
“We have a real connection because my dad interviewed him for the DC job at LSU, so they know each other well, too. So yeah, that was cool. His family and my family have connected, so it was always kind of cool to catch up when I go on a visit to Notre Dame.”
On defensive coordinator Al Golden:
“Getting up there for my second time meeting him was cool because he's had a lot of experience at other schools, like Miami and Temple, where he's been the head coach. He knows how to develop young players. And he knows about the game because he also coached the Bengals, and they made the Super Bowl. That just shows you how good of a coach he is, especially on the defensive side of the ball. That always sticks out to me.”
On camaraderie in recruiting and guys with whom he has a great connection:
“This past weekend, I connected with some Notre Dame recruits like Preston Zinter, Drayk Bowen and Keon Keeley. I spoke to Caleb Downs. I spoke to all of them. It was good connecting with them and seeing how they like Notre Dame.”
On his favorite ND player:
“Jaylon Smith.”
Continued:
“And Kyle Hamilton. My dad has known him since I was a kid. His family and my family are close. It’s always good to speak to his family.
“When I was in fifth grade, we went to the Alabama vs. LSU game together. I was sitting with him, his brother and his mom. His mom watched over me and my brother when my dad was in the press box.’
On what he is anticipating most about playing college football:
'I'm going there to focus on school and academics, and that's it. Because you can't be in college forever. I'm talking about graduating in three years and hopefully be a first-round draft pick. That's the plan. If that doesn’t work, I want to be a business major in finance. I'm also going to have that to fall back on if things don't go as planned.”
On if it’s easy to look outside the state and play football instead of playing home:
“It's never been hard for me. Even staying in-state, I wouldn't have a problem staying or leaving. Location has never been a problem to me, but growing up on campus, with my dad working there (LSU), it was always cool being around LSU. But leaving the state is no problem for me. I'm going to go wherever is best for me and set my future up in a good way.”
On a commitment date:
“I am probably going to decide in December. That’s my decision. I am trying to narrow it down to 2-3 schools after June.”
On what he needs to see in those 2-3 schools:
“That home feeling. Making sure I'm being around people who I can trust and people who care for me on and off the field. Making sure if I get hurt, I would like to be there and like to go to campus. If I get hurt, the coaching staff will still care about me. And that shows that they don't just care about me if I'm playing football there; they also care about me as a student and a person.
“Also the culture. You got to talk to the players because you're going to be in their shoes one day, and they witnessed it firsthand. So those are some things that are important to me when I make my decision.”
On what else he is looking for in a school:
“Making sure that I'm not just becoming a great student, but I'm learning things that will help me in the future. Whatever job I get after I play in the NFL, which hopefully, I will do someday. I want to be a finance major because I've always wanted to go to Wall Street and be a CEO of a company.
“When I went to Notre Dame, they always talk about Justin Tuck. He won the Super Bowl and was a great NFL football player, but now he is CEO of Goldman Sachs, making more money than he was in the league. That stuck out to me.”
On if he has envisioned himself running out of the tunnel with a shiny ND helmet on:
“Every visit I go on, I try to think of myself as a player and a student there. Every time I go on the field, I try to see myself in that jersey, uniform and helmet. I have envisioned that before.”
On a game day visit:
“Hopefully, I get up there this fall and watch them play against a big-time school.”
On if ND landing CJ Carr means anything to him, benign that Carr is a highly-rated QB:
“I wouldn't say it means anything big to me, but it's always kind of cool seeing schools land big five-star quarterbacks. That just shows you that coach Freeman has changed the recruiting at Notre Dame. Before that, they weren't landing five stars like that. … It just goes to show that Notre Dame is doing their thing in the recruiting world.’
On if he has spoken with LSU head coach Brian Kelly:
“We’ve spoken a few times. He’s a cool guy. He's a good coach. He can recruit well too. He’s business-like, but he’s a good coach. He’s a winner. Some people might not like him, but even at Notre Dame, he won.”
On talking to Freeman and Kelly because of his dad interviewing Freeman and Kelly now being at LSU:
“It’s weird, but they’re both really good coaches. They both know how to connect with young players.”
On his dad’s influence in the recruiting process:
“People won't believe it, but he has no influence at all. When we visit, he sits back and is like, ‘Hey, this is your decision.’ Same with my mom, they're like, ‘This is your decision.’ My dad lets me know to ask him if I have any questions. On visits, he never gets involved or anything like that. He's laid back and wants me to enjoy the visit.”
On what the recruiting process has been like:
“I never let it get overwhelming for me. I try to just soak it in—each visit at once. Take the pros, take the cons, and try to see what will be best for me. It starts to heat up and die down at times. When I visit, I see what will be best for me and my future.”
On if recruiting is fun or a business decision:
“Last summer, when I was going into my junior year, it was fun. Once you get past that junior football season, it’s just business because it moves by fast. So you got to look at it from a business standpoint and see how it's going to affect your future. So, I'll say once you get to about January of your junior year, that's when it starts getting really (gets down) to business.”
On NIL:
“I don't have a problem with it, but I don't try to focus on that because NIL will not be there forever. My goal is to make the league, and that's when I will make my real money. I don’t focus on NIL like that. I try to focus more on the actual game because if you make plays on the field, NIL deals will come.
“You don't get the NIL deals first. You got to make plays. … In my mind, I'm going to make the league three-four years, and that's when I'm going to make my big bucks. I'm not worried about it like that.
NIL continued:
“The way I think about it is, I don't let that affect my game. I don't let it get in the way because I'm fortunate enough to come from a blessed family. So I don’t have to play the game for money. In my mind, I'm just thinking I am going to make the league, so I don’t have to worry about NIL deals. But I wouldn't have any problem getting some or reaching out to new NIL companies.”
On his best traits as a football player:
“My speed. The game is not A-gap, B-gap football anymore. The offense is starting to spread out more. You got to be able to move in space. My speed has always been an advantage. I take pride in that and try to use it to other people's disadvantage.”
On early enrolling:
“Right now, my school doesn't let us, but I'm trying to talk to my superintendent to see what I can do. If I can take some summer courses or just take classes for more credit. But hopefully, I can because I want to.”
